The Electronic Filing Cabinet
When you’re running a business, you need to look out for and take advantage of any opportunity to increase efficiency. One aspect of your business that you may need to take a closer look at is your document management system. Is it optimized to your business needs? Is it worth the investment to your company? Today, we’re going to talk about how a document management system can help your business.
First, it’s important to understand what a document management system is and what it can do for your business. Your business depends on information. But can your employees and partners locate the information they need, when they need it? Think of all the different places you store important, valuable information that your employees need: on individual computer hard drives, in the cloud, on networks, on zip drives, maybe even old CD’s and file cabinets!
Think of a document management system as an electronic filing cabinet. This electronic filing cabinet is going to be a lot more efficient than those bulky, gigantic old file cabinets from the past. If this vital information isn’t instantly available to the people who need access to these documents, then you have a problem. The electronic filing cabinet is also going to make it much easier for your teams, employees and relevant partners to share, store and edit documents digitally. You need to make sure you have an effective system in place for your team to be able to access the documents they need, when they need them, no matter if they’re in the office, at an off-site location, or working from home for the afternoon.
The push for the paperless office – in some industries – is a necessity compelled by governmental regulation. Many hospitals and doctors offices are being required to store digital copies of all their files in addition to keeping a paper copy – they’re preparing for the transition to a paperless future.
In addition to keeping an eye on any regulatory requirements, it’s also important to note that technology changes every day. At Active Data Systems, we stay on top of the latest and greatest technology trends in document management systems so that you don’t have to. We’re always looking for new technology that will give your business an edge and keep your company and its documents safe and secure.
Backup is one important aspect of a good document management system. Data protection is crucial. Think about this statistic: Seventy percent of all companies that suffer a major data loss go out of business within a year. It can be devastating when you factor in what a data loss can entail – loss of your email, your Word and Excel documents, PDFs, databases, contact lists, accounting data, billing information and more. At Active Data Systems, our backup services incorporate continuous data protection, with the entire server backed up, not just the data. There are no tapes to switch or take off-site. Your data is automatically stored both on and off-site with any requirements of your employees. This is continuous data protection, backing up your entire server in near real time. Our highly reliable backup system has built-in features to protect and recover your valuable data.
We don’t want you to ever have to imagine what would happen if you suddenly lost documents, databases, contact lists, accounting data or billing lists. It can be a nightmare when you imagine trying to start over from scratch with nothing but a few client contacts stored in your cell phone. But you only have to turn the news on to see that natural disasters can strike with little to no notice and can have devastating consequences. Floods, fires, earthquakes – you need to make sure your documents and information are sheltered from any storm and accessible through any emergency. That’s one of the great things about storing your files in the cloud – there’s not a physical location that can be destroyed that will ruin your business.
Scanning Safely
If it seems like a daunting task to get all of your documents scanned, don’t worry! Active Data Systems offers safe, secure and professional scanning services. Our comprehensive range of document scanning services can convert your documents to digital file formats that can be electronically stored, retrieved, tracked and managed from any computer or mobile device. From start to finish, we work with you to make sure your scanning project is a well thought out success.
Scanning your paper files is important for several reasons. For one, it frees up your physical office space. You don’t have to store your paper docs in prime office space. You’re freed up to focus on your core business. Scanning your paper files protects them from floods, fires or spilled coffee. You can quickly apply rule-based security to your electronic images, ensuring only authorized individuals have access to them – a great feature for protecting private information. Document scanning allows all team members to instantly access the digital image and collaborate in real time. Finally, the mobile accessibility that will be available to your staff will be greatly helpful, allowing them to quickly and securely access files from anywhere, at any time, from any device.
So how do our scanning services work? The first step is meeting with one of our experienced managers – they will lean about your company and your business goals. Then, one of our staff members will pick up your material and transport it to our secure facility. After being received at our secure building, we digitize your documents with the lasts scanning hardware. Once the scanning is complete, we can export the images for you in virtually any format.
If you’re interested in a microfilm scanner of your own, we can assist you with scanning hardware. You can make the most out of your archive with easy, space saving equipment. Access your archives with just a click. ScanPro Scanners make working with microfilm easy, fun and productive. We can outfit your business with the technology preferred by the world’s largest and most prestigious libraries and corporations.
The ScanPro 2200 is the lowest cost, highest quality microfilm scanner available in the industry. It’s a sturdy piece of equipment, made for public use. The compact system can be networked to computers or touch screens for ease of use and space savings. The ScanPro 2000 offers clear, crisp images with real-time viewing and image adjustments.
The ScanPro 3000 features a 26-megapixel camera that provides exceptional image quality and the ability to zoom and adjust color, brightness, contrast and focus. Automatic scanning can be used for a partial roll or an entire archive and users can create word-searchable PDF files.
The ScanProi9300 has the ability to work with and provide automated setup for both standard and custom blipped formats. It’s also exceptionally accurate searching with easy, simple and fast film loading for all microfilm types, including blipped. AUTO-Adjust automatic on-screen image straightening, cropping and brightness and contrast adjustment.
If you’re looking for a paper scanner – something for the office that can scan invoices, ID cards, receipts, forms, or any other day to day paperwork, we recommend the following: Production – for high speed, high quality image scanning, reliable document handling and superior durability for the entire office, the Canon DR-X10C. Departmental – for high speed, high quality image scanning, reliable document handling in a smaller size with easy to use features – the Canon DR-G1130, DR-G1100, DR-6030C, DR-6010C. Desktop – for convenience and flexibility and exceptional scanning performance that fits on a desktop – the Canon DR-M1060, DR-M160II, DR-3010C, DR-C225, DR-M140, DR-C130. Personal – for easy to transport scanning equipment that can be taken wherever you need it in the office – the Canon P-215II and the P-208.
Customer Satisfaction
Document management not only improves business efficiency, but it also improves customer satisfaction. Your employees and customers will operate more securely with the peace of mind that comes from trusted technology, storage and management. It starts with capturing your information and records, no matter the format they’re in, and converting them electronically. We then keep your files stored securely and streamline not only your document management but your workflow. Then you can use a fully integrated system that allows you instant access and the ability to search and analyze.
Other functions you can use document management systems for include storing various document types, including word-processing files, emails, PDFs and spreadsheets. You can also search an entire library of files by individual keyword. You can control – and restrict – access to certain documents as well as monitor who is viewing those documents and when. You can track edits being made to the document and retrieve previous versions of those edited documents. You can control and regulate when out-of-date documents can be deleted. You can access, edit and share documents via mobile devices.
All these functions translate to a more efficient organization that is more quickly able to serve their customers. Think of those frantic calls from an angry client and how important it is to get the right information quickly. A good document management system allows you to have the confidence to know that that important information is at your fingertips, no matter the hour and no matter where you’re located at that moment.
A good document management system reduces printing and copying expenses – and can create savings by lessening the need for on-site and offsite file storage space.
There are so many benefits to a good document management system – contact us at Active Data Systems today to get started on a customized set-up that will be right for you and your business.